In some areas the brambles grow wild. As a child growing up in Idaho and Montana, I learned early to appreciate the sweet sharp taste of bramble fruits. Gathering a bucket or two for the making of jam or pies was required labor. Picking in the thickets resulted in numerous expected scratches from the thorns of these plants. Watching warily with one eye for bear who also enjoy the fruits added to the excitement of a day spent outside with your mother, brother and sisters, cousins, and aunts. Despite numerous warnings to the contrary, gorging oneself with the fruit was natural and upset tummies usually followed the outing.
An appreciation for these fresh fruits developed during these times, so planning a raspberry patch or blackberry bushes in my garden is a result of the fondness for these fruits. The delicate fruit of brambles can be enjoyed without paying the high prices asked at the supermarket, but in our area a little TLC is required to produce good berries.
Raspberries, Blackberries, Loganberries, and Boysenberries all belong to genus Rubus. These plants can be purchased as uprights or trailing types from catalog nurseries. Both bramble types require pruning once established to allow all available sunlight to as much surface as possible since more berries are produced with a better exposure.
Brambles can be thornless or not. The appearance of the berry plants is not inspiring when received from the supplier, but they grow very fast and plans should be made to keep new development in check since they will quickly grow out of control.
Prepare your berry bed carefully with a combination of native soil, sand, and compost - it will really pay off with the next harvest. Don't allow the beautiful new growth to influence your judgment when pruning. It needs to be cut back to develop the fruiting laterals.
Each year new canes are developed from the basal root. This new growth should be lopped off. This will encourage the branching that will produce the multiple berries desired for the following year.
New plants can be started by tip layering or actually digging up new starts. Upon initial placement, berries seem more easily adapted if they feel they can lean against something for support.
The fruit of the raspberry pops off its receptacle quite easily when ripe. Blackberries turn a rich dark color to indicate ripeness. Birds will also notice when your fruit is ripe. A mockingbird and I are in competition to see who is the most greedy for our berries.
We planted Latham raspberry and have been disappointed with the yield which was small and sparse. In all fairness, the raspberry plot was not given as much care in preparation as the Boysenberry which is producing large and multiple fruits. Preparation of a quality bed results in a substantial harvest. I would recommend the Boysenberry since it seems to tolerate the heat more readily and has been a better producer. The fruit of this plant also freezes efficiently when spread on a cookie sheet in one layer and frozen. It can then be transferred into plastic bags. Your catalog should inform you as to the most dependable brambles for our area. There are a great many berries to choose from.